ASHLAND — The Ashland Police Division is growing and getting new tech.
City officials swore in three officers on Sept. 10, bringing the division’s force to 36. And on Sept. 16, Ashland City Council approved the division’s purchase of new body-worn and dash cameras.
New officer Morgan Shilliday, 25, of Ashland, has worked in the division’s records department since 2021. She is the first civilian employee in more than 30 years to transition to a certified peace officer, said Chief Dave Lay.
Austin Graska, 29, of Mansfield, enters the division from the private sector.
“It is his first appointment as a police officer, and we are optimistic that his maturity and diverse life experience will serve him well as he engages with the community,” Lay said.
Shilliday and Graska completed training as full-time recruits at the North Central State College Police Academy.
Jacob Hemenway, 29, of Apple Creek, is a lateral hire from the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, where he’s worked for roughly five years.
“His familiarity with the community and our personnel, gained through his involvement with the Special Response Team and as a deputy, will likely reduce the time he spends in the field training program,” Lay said.
New cameras purchased
Mayor Matt Miller said the police division’s current contract with tech company Getac expires at the end of September. The city first entered into a contract with the company in 2022 — the first time the police ever had body-worn cameras.
“As with all technology, it changes quickly,” Miller said.
The mayor the new cameras, manufactured by Axon, are of a higher quality, have unlimited capacity for data storage and artificial intelligence that will help in redacting videos if needed following public requests.
The $485,283 contract with Axon will last five years and comes with 36 cameras and 16 dash cams. It also includes a software update after 2.5 years.
Miller acknowledged the deal appears pricey, but said the cost over five years is less than $100,000 to equip officers with “one of the most important pieces of equipment our officers actually have.”
The equipment will be purchased using police levy funds.
He said the Samaritan Hospital Foundation has agreed to donate $60,000 over three payments for the program.
Lay said the new Axon cameras work on separate, proprietary software and storage applications — making the old cameras useless.
“We will try to sell the old cameras at auction,” he said.